The Hyperice HyperVolt is one of the first and most well-known percussive massage devices.
It’s now one of many massage guns on the market, and the technology has developed rapidly in recent years. There are now many high quality percussive massage devices to choose from, some offering more features for less money.
Popular alternatives include the Theragun, Opove, ExoGun, and our very own AlphaGun X.
However, the HyperVolt remains both one of the most popular expensive devices – so it’s worth looking at it in detail before exploring the alternatives.
In this HyperVolt review, I’m going to cover:
1. What the features of the HyperVolt are
2. What’s good about the HyperVolt
3. What’s bad about it
4. Finally how it compares to the AlphaGun X, which is almost $170 cheaper, but has more speeds and more massage heads.
What’s good about the HyperVolt?
The HyperVolt is one of the original percussive massage guns. It’s a big brand and the build quality of their devices is very good.
Both the HyperVolt and the HyperVolt Plus pack a powerful 3,200 max RPM and a stall force of 50lb. Weighing about 2.5lb, the it’s the average weight for a massager.
All versions of the HyperVolt have 3 speed settings which start at 2,000 RPM, rising to 2,600 and finally 3,200 RPM.
Although there are massage guns with more speeds and smaller increments – and therefore offer a more customised massage – 3 speed settings is more than the basic Theragun offers, for example.
The HyperVolt has 5 massage heads that are designed to target various parts of the body. This is slightly more than most devices – even some of the most expensive have only 3 or 4 heads.
With up to 3 hours of battery life, relatively quiet (60 dB) brushless motor and carry case, the HyperVolt is a well designed, durable and portable percussive massage device.
The latest version of the HyperVolt now comes with Bluetooth, a feature rare among massage devices. The new ‘Hypervolt with Bluetooth’ device is identical to previous versions – the only difference is that it now comes with an interactive smartphone app that:
1. gives suggestions to guide your use of the device
2. provides timed routines that adjust the speed settings automatically
This is clever, but the device is already easy to use and most users will know what speed setting is comfortable for them, so can make manual adjustments. Some users may even have preferred more speed settings instead of more tech.
The Hypervolt costs $349 and the Hypervolt Plus costs $399. For this you get the device, charger, heads and accessories, but the carry case will cost you an extra $49.
Overall it’s a good all-round performer, a well built device.
What’s Bad About the HyperVolt?
The first potential negative with the HyperVolt is the high price tag – it starts at $349 for the basic model and up to $449 for the HyperVolt Plus. This is in the same range as another leading massager, the Theragun, which costs as much as $599.
Crucially though, the HyperVolt’s range of speeds and massage heads are limited, especially considering the high price.
The HyperVolt has only 3 speed settings, and the lowest setting still has quite a high RPM. There are two problems with this:
1. The HyperVolt effectively only has 3 massage programs – there are now alternatives with 10 times as many speeds.
2. The speed settings do not increase gradually, but in steep increments. For example, if your body is very sore its lowest setting of the HyperVolt might feel too powerful, and there’s a big jump in RPM between each setting as there are only 3.
With more speeds, you could start at a lower intensity for very sore or painful muscles and move up more gradually. Compared to some alternatives, this means the HyperVolt may not offer such a highly customizable massage, but it is a high quality device with a solid brand and reputation.
There’s also the price to consider; the HyperVolt is $349 and that’s the price for the basic model with no carry case (which costs $49 extra).
That’s $150 more than the Opove M3 Pro and $170 more than the AlphaGun X – and both these come with a carry case, more speeds and more massage heads.
The Top Alternatives
We can’t talk about HyperVolt alternatives without mentioning the Theragun.
It sells for even more than the HyperVolt though, and while it’s a very good device it still shares some of the drawbacks of the HyperVolt: high price, limited range of massage heads (only 3) and limited speed settings (the Theragun has only 2 speeds).
The Theragun does not come with Bluetooth, but neither do any other devices we tested. So far, it seems to be only Hypervolt that thought this feature was worth including.
The Opove and ExoGun are both popular low-price alternatives. The Opove is a very similar looking device to the HyperVolt, with the same basic features, including 3 speeds, but only 30lb of stall force and only 4 massage heads. It costs $199.
The ExoGun has a few advantages over the HyperVolt. It has basically the same features, but 6 speed settings instead of 3 and costs only $199 – $150 less than the basic HyperVolt.
Finally, there’s the AlphaGun X. The AlphaGun is similar to the HyperVolt in design, and both have a powerful brushless motor, quiet-glide technology, strong outer casing and a carrying case. Many of the basic features are the same.
But in addition to that, the AlphaGun X has 30 speed settings instead of 3, up to 5 hours battery life (instead of 3), 8 massage heads (instead of 5) and is cheaper than any of the alternatives discussed so far – its $179 (delivery in the US is free).
The AlphaGun X has the same stall force (50lb) and a slightly higher RPM of 3,500, so overall the power level is very similar.
Compare the HyperVolt and AlphaGun here.
However, the combination of 10x the number of speeds and more massage heads makes the AlphaGun X capable of a much wider range of massage programs – e.g. for different body parts, for when you’re very sore, if you only want a very gentle massage, etc.
Not only does it have a much lower minimum speed (of 1,600 RPM), but you’ll be able to increase the intensity much more gradually when required between the Alpha’s 30 speeds than the HyperVolt’s 3.
Finally, the AlphaGun is currently on sale at $179 (reduced from $299), making it $170 cheaper than the HyperVolt (even when it’s on sale).
Key reasons to consider the AlphaGun instead:
1. The AlphaGun is $170 cheaper than the HyperVolt. The AlphaGun X comes with more speeds, heads and battery life and costs $170 less than the HyperIce HyperVolt.
2. The AlphaGun has 8 massage heads while the HyperVolt has 5. Massage heads come in different shapes and sizes and are designed for different parts of the body – in addition to many more speeds, more heads means the AlphaGun is more adaptable and tailored to your whole body.
3. The AlphaGun has also has 30 speed settings compared to the HyperVolt’s 3. The Alpha has an LCD screen where you can select between 30 speeds from very gentle to intense, making it significantly more customizable – gentle when you’re particularly sore, intense when required and at very gradual increases in between.
4. The AlphaGun has a 3,500 RPM motor. The max speed of the AlphaGun X is higher than the HyperVolt’s 3,200 max RPM and the minimum speed is much lower – so it has a wider range of speed (massage intensity) settings.
Essentially, the AlphaGun offers very similar features to the HyperVolt, but for $170 less and with extra features including more speed settings and more massage heads.
The AlpahGun X also comes with a free carry case.
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